In defense of negative reviews

ACME Chophouse, Photo by Scott Beale

Hey, visitors from the Wall Street Journal. Glad you found me (“quit with the nicey nicey” – yupp, I’d sign that). Check the bar to the right for more rants, and leave me a comment if you want…

Michael Bauer reviewed ACME Chophouse and, to quote 7×7, “took it to the killing floor“. Which, all things considered, could be true. Even eaters like me who, generally, tend not to agree with Bauer’s assessments (it would be great for Chefs and bad for the world if everyone had the same taste), think twice when reading his reviews.

So, sure, let’s analyze Bauer. Let’s discuss his assessment. And let’s, as I am sure he’d be the first to point out himself, keep in mind that one man’s half-star could be another’s five-star. Simple as that.

But what I keep hearing about negative reviews, from Mr. Bauer or others, is a different tune. Something sung to the melody of “in these trying times”, or “in an economy like this one”. In other words, it’s not a good idea, some contend, to render a negative opinion and, potentially, killing a fragile operation over it.

I disagree. Especially in these times we need to be massively vigilant. Anyone charging the equivalent of a week’s worth of spending money on a dinner deserves, nay must be subjected to, the most intense of scrutiny. $50 for a rib eye, regardless of its size, is a lot of money. Any restaurant selling it better deliver the full gamut of services encompassed in “hospitality”. Great service, great food, healthy and seasonal, great ambience, and superior ties between those. Above and beyond this, the 2007 attitude of reputation being a great excuse for sloppy service, dismissive or even condescending dealings, average food, and less than perfect venues, is gone. Thankfully.

To quote the very same Michael Bauer on something I wholeheartedly agree about:

Restaurants who haven’t figured out that people come to a restaurant to escape their problems and want to be treated with respect need to go out of business. It’s called the hospitality industry for a reason. Being hospitable should be the number-one goal of any restaurant.

And this extends into food, service, preparation, and pricing. I am the first to advocate for better payment for Back of the House, the first to support local eateries in their quest to make a good buck. But that better come with nothing but the best of the best of services. Restaurants deserve your patronage, you deserve their hundred-and-ten-percent service. Simple as that. And in these “trying times” this is even more so an important aspect than it was ten years ago during the big dot.com rush.

So, let’s quit with the nicey-nicey. Let’s stop excusing short-cuts, let’s quit bailing out mediocre eateries, and start rewarding the creme of the crop, again. Nothing else will work in the long run. Oh, and stop eating badly. Please?